


Mind The Gap

by DementedPixie



Series: Demented Pixie's Pros Fic [31]
Category: The Professionals (TV 1977)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:47:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22653466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DementedPixie/pseuds/DementedPixie
Summary: My first ever Pros fanfic, written in 2009. Forgive me, I got better.PLEASE DO NOT RE-POST THIS STORY ON ANY OTHER PLATFORM.
Relationships: William Bodie & Ray Doyle
Series: Demented Pixie's Pros Fic [31]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1264832
Kudos: 6





	Mind The Gap

**Author's Note:**

> My name is Demented Pixie and I’m a Pros fan, but that hasn’t always been my name. If you knew me as In Love With Both and you’re a friend, then you’ll already know why I left the fandom some years back. But, hey, a girl can change her mind, and I have therefore decided to re-share my Professionals fanfiction on this amazing Archive – no changes, no improvements, no alterations. I’ll be posting them just as they were written. No comments, no trolls, and no betas. Just me and my stories. I’m sharing them so that they can take their place in the archive, but I’m also sharing them for the Pros generation, for those future generations yet to discover Bodie and Doyle, and for Sandra, who has never ceased waving pompoms for all Pros fanfiction writers.  
> The following story was written by me in 2009.

** Opening Scene, Kings Cross Station Masters Office, November 1978 **

The girl was a train spotter. Unusual? Yes. Odd? Most definitely. She sat in the armchair enveloped by the enormous parka, thumbing through her 1961 Combined Volume of British Railways Locomotives. Under the parka she was wearing scruffy flared jeans and a Sex Pistols T shirt. Her long curly brown hair was unkempt, blown about by the wind outside, the fringe falling in her eyes. She looked up through it and fixed her gaze on Doyle who was looking back at her with some amusement.

‘Something funny?’ she asked.

‘No, not at all’ said Doyle, not at all convincingly.

‘I suppose you’re wondering why I’ve got a steam train book in 1978 when there are none left. It’s terrible, bloody diesels everywhere.’

The corners of Doyle’s mouth twitched as he tried to keep a straight face. ‘Er no, that’s not quite what I was thinking’ he said.

The pout on her face turned into a glare and she turned back to her book. Bodie came in with a cup of something hot and steaming and handed it to her. ‘There you go love, hot Bovril as requested.’

She looked up and took the cup gratefully. ‘Ta’ she said, ‘tell your mate to leave me alone.’

‘He been picking on you?’ said Bodie, turning to Doyle and wagging his finger at him. ‘Told you before to stop being nasty.’ He turned back to the girl and sat down on the coffee table in front of her. ‘Do you think you’ll be able to tell me what you saw now?’

‘Only if he gets lost’ she said, sticking her tongue out at Doyle.

Bodie looked over his shoulder and gestured to Doyle to do just that, and Doyle gratefully left the room so he could finally have a good laugh outside.

Bodie wasn’t laughing. He knew this girl had just witnessed something very important and he wasn’t going to get it out of her by taking the Michael.

‘What’s your name love?’ he asked.

‘Cathy.’

‘Hi Cathy, I’m Bodie.’ He reached across and moved some of the fringe out of her eyes so he could smile into them.

All he got back was a suddenly confused expression. She drew her hand across her forehead, trying to deal with the fringe herself. ‘I don’t know what you want’ she said.

‘It’s all right’ he said gently, ‘Just tell me what you saw when the man got shot.’

She sipped her Bovril. ‘I was waiting for the Cathedrals Express to come in. Was going to be a steam train, read all about it in my magazine.’ She turned to a page in her book and pointed at a black and white photo of a locomotive. ‘That one.’

Bodie looked at the picture and smiled at her again. ‘Nice’ he said, trying not to sound too patronising.

‘I’d been here a while, waiting for it to arrive. Lots of other trains were coming in and out, I like to watch the people and write down the train numbers, even if they are diesels.’

‘Go on love.’

‘The 11.15 from York came in and everyone got off. Then there was this man, he got off and I thought it was strange because he couldn’t walk straight, I thought he was drunk. He was really pale, kept staggering down the platform. Then just as he got near the ticket booth, a Deltic on the next platform started up. It was really noisy and I turned to look at it, when I turned back he was lying on the ground. Just lying there, face down on the floor. People around said he’d been shot.’

‘Did you see who did it sweetheart?’

‘Oh yes, I saw him, I’ve got a very good eye for things, remember things really well, I do.’

‘In that case’ said Bodie reaching out to touch her on the shoulder ‘you’re just the girl I’ve been looking for.’

**OPENING TITLES**

**Scene change, Cowley’s Office one hour later.**

‘Here you are love, start looking through these photo’s and see if you recognise anyone.’ Bodie plonked the enormous photo album on the desk in front of her as she swung from side to side on Cowley’s chair, feet dangling off the floor, looking through one photo at a time. He wandered over to Doyle who was stood at the other side of the room looking at her with doubt written all over his face.

‘This is a joke Bodie’ said Doyle quietly. ‘She’s not going to be any help. We’ve got a murdered CIA man here, not bloody Doctor Beeching.’

‘Give her a break’ said Bodie ‘I think she saw our killer and at the moment she’s the only clue we’ve got.’

‘I can’t figure her out’ said Doyle ‘I mean, how old is she, 19, 20? She not a kid but she dresses like one, likes punk rock and Bovril and collects train numbers. Does that really sound like a reliable witness to you?’

‘Have you got any better ideas?’

Doyle shrugged. ‘At the moment, no, but the minute we get a lead we need to dump her right back where she came from.’

‘You’re a hard man sometimes Doyle’ said Bodie, walking back over to Cathy and perching on the desk to watch her, amazed that she could focus on any of the images at all through that ridiculously long fringe. Something about this girl was getting to Bodie, but he wasn’t about to let Doyle see that. She sat back and rubbed her eyes. She pointed at one of the photos.

‘That’s him’ she said.

Doyle looked up in surprise and quickly walked over. Bodie and Doyle both looked down at the open book, took in the persons face they were looking at, then looked up directly at each other. They both spoke the name at the same time, in the same breath.

‘Cowley?’

** Scene change, Doyle’s RS2000 driving along the A40. **

‘This is a nice car’ said Cathy from the back seat.

Doyle decided to carry on ignoring her.

Bodie turned around from the front and grinned at her. ‘I’ve got a nicer one’ he said.

‘Why doesn’t he like me?’ she asked, nodding at Doyle.

‘Ignore him, he just forgot to take his vitamins this morning.’

‘Where are we going again?’

‘We’ve got to take care of you love, if what you’ve just told us is true then there is a chance you might be in danger and we need to make sure you’re safe.’

‘Yes but where are we going?’

‘You’ll like it, trust me’ said Bodie.

Something about Bodie told her that she could, so she did.

** Scene change, the RS2000 pulls up in some railway sidings and they all get out. **

‘You see?’ said Bodie ‘I told you you’d like it!’

She grinned and looked around with big wide eyes. ‘Are we allowed in here? I mean, won’t someone come and tell us off?’

‘Nope’ said Bodie, ‘come on, I’ll show you our secret hideout.’ He took Cathy’s hand and led her across the sleepers over to a red ex travelling post office and helped her up the steep footholds into the carriage. He pulled himself up after her, quickly followed by Doyle, who was still shaking his head somewhat in disbelief.

When they got inside Cathy ran excitedly up and down the carriage looking in every corner and out of every window. Doyle pulled Bodie over to one side. ‘Will you stop acting like a big kid’ he said ‘it’s bad enough having to cope with her without you joining in too.’

‘Cool it Doyle, relax a bit.’

‘Relax? She’s just told us that Alpha One is an assassin and you’re telling me to relax?’

‘Look, until we get more information and sort this out, all we can do is lie low and make sure she isn’t next on the list. Cowley can screw himself for all I care, he’s pushed it too far this time. I don’t care what triple think he’s on, if he doesn’t keep us informed then he can’t expect anything else from us. We’ve got to stick to our training, and my training is telling me we’re doing the right thing by the girl and that’s all that matters.’

This was quite a long speech for Bodie and it took Doyle a minute to take it all in.

‘Right’ he said, with a deep breath. It was going to be a long night.

** Several hours later **

The clock struggled through to 5am. Cathy was sound asleep on an army cot that Bodie had set up for her. Doyle was taking his turn on watch. Bodie was curled up on the floor with his head on his jacket and a blanket over him. Dawn was struggling through and it was blooming freezing in the railway carriage. Doyle shrugged himself back into the warmth of his jacket and contemplated their situation. He wandered over to the little calor gas fire and lit it. The sound of the fire kicking into life pulled Bodie from his doze and he looked up.

Doyle gave him a smile, ‘Mornin sunshine’ he said.

‘Only just’ said Bodie, stretching and getting up.

‘I’ve been trying to work out our next move’ said Doyle.

‘Oh? And what do you reckon?’

‘We’re nothing without information. We can’t use the RT in case Alpha One tunes in, but we’ve got to find out what’s going on somehow. I was thinking of Murphy. He’s off duty and doesn’t live too far from here. At least I trust him which is more than I can say for Cowley at the moment.’

‘Sounds okay’ admitted Bodie. ‘Do you want to go ahead and I’ll stay with the girl?’

‘Right, I’ll be back within the hour.’ Doyle opened the door and jumped down into the intensely crisp and cold morning air. Bodie shut the door behind him and busied himself making a cuppa on the primus stove.

** Scene change, Doyle is in a front porch leaning on Murphy’s door bell. **

Murphy came to the front door wearing nothing but his pyjama bottoms and his gun in its shoulder holster.

Doyle laughed at him ‘Always take that to bed do you?’

‘Do you know what time it is?’ asked Murphy, letting Doyle into the flat.

‘Sorry mate, we’ve got trouble and need help.’

Murphy led him into the lounge and gestured to him to sit down. ‘Go on’ he said.

‘We’re sheltering a witness who saw a CIA agent gunned down. Trouble is she reckons it was Cowley who did the shooting.’

‘Cowley? Are you serious?’

‘Not me mate, but she is.’

‘What do you need?’

‘We’ve got to be sure Cowley is on the level before we bring her in. If there is something really big going on here then we don’t want to put her at risk.’

‘You want me to snoop around back at base, see what I can find out?’

‘I think it’s the only way. I’ll come with you and wait to see what you find. We’re sticking to radio silence so you won’t be able to contact us.’

Murphy went into the bedroom and came back quickly dressed. ‘Come on then.’

** Scene Change, Murphy and Doyle arrive at HQ **

‘I’ll wait over the road behind that phone box’ said Doyle. ‘Don’t get caught. If you’re not back out in 10 minutes I’ve got to assume Cowley’s onto you and I’m going.’

Murphy nodded and entered the building, showing his ID to the man on the desk and quickly making his way up the stairs. As gentle as a man his size could be, he padded down the corridor to Cowley’s office. He paused outside, straining to hear any movement within.

‘Come in Murphy’ said a voice loudly. Oh shit. Cowley. Murphy opened the door and went in. ‘Where are they?’ said Cowley, staring intently at him.

‘Who Sir?’ asked Murphy.

‘Don’t play games with me!’ said Cowley angrily, standing up and moving towards him. ‘I know they’ve got the girl and I’m in no mood for games. Where have they taken her?’

Thankfully Murphy didn’t have to lie. ‘I don’t know Sir.’

‘And what did you hope to find in my office on your day off?’

Murphy sighed. This was his boss, the man who had risked but then saved Murphy’s hide on more occasions than he cared to remember. He had to trust him, didn’t he? ‘There is a possibility Sir that you have been identified as the assassin. Bodie and Doyle are trying to protect the witness until they know the full story. Sorry Sir.’

Cowley’s face relaxed a little. ‘Aye, I thought as much. Can you bring them in?’

‘I honestly don’t know where they are holding her Sir.’

‘Murphy, there is more to this that meets the eye, you have got to trust me and you have got to persuade Bodie and Doyle to do the same. They are not safe where they are and they need to bring the girl in. Can I rely on you?’

‘Of course Sir.’

‘Then off you go laddie, don’t come back without them.’

Murphy made his way back out into the street and across to the phone box. ‘Doyle?’ he called in a low voice. Doyle popped out from behind the low wall he’d been hiding behind. ‘What’s the story?’ he asked.

‘Cowley knows you’ve got the girl, he says we’ve got to trust him and bring her in.’

‘I don’t like it Murphy.’

‘No, I’ve got to admit neither do I’ agreed Murphy.

Suddenly there was a shout from the entrance to the CI5 building. It sounded like Benny’s voice. ‘Doyle, give yourself up’ he shouted. Murphy ducked behind the phone box for cover and Doyle started running down the street. A gun fired and hit him in the shoulder, he fell, picked himself up and carried on running, if a little slower. Murphy returned covering fire back at the building, hardly believing what was happening. When he was sure Doyle was out of sight he dropped his gun and stepped out from behind the phone box with his hands up. Benny ran across to grab him, quickly followed by Cowley.

‘What are you playing at Murphy?’ Cowley shouted.

‘He shot Doyle’ shouted Murphy back. ‘You said to trust you, if that’s trust then I don’t want any of it.’

‘Get him inside’ said Cowley, stomping off back into the building with his head low.

** Scene Change, back at the railway sidings **

Cathy sat propped up in the little bed with her second cup of tea of the day, wrapping the blanket around her trying to keep the warmth in. ‘Are you best friends with him?’ she asked.

Bodie looked across from where he was standing on watch. ’You mean Doyle? We’re more than friends really, been partners for years, he’s the only one I can really trust to watch my back and I do the same for him.’

‘So why doesn’t he like me?’ she asked, dropping her eyes a little.

‘Maybe he just doesn’t like trains’ said Bodie lightly, trying to cheer her up.

‘He’s gone to get help hasn’t he?’

‘Well yes, at the least the start of some help.’

‘But he’s gone without you to watch his back.’

‘One of us needed to stay with you love.’ Bodie turned back and looked out of the carriage window thoughtfully. ‘Oh shit.’ He ran over to the door and leaped down onto the ground, running towards Doyle who was staggering his way across the railway sleepers, blood seeping through his jacket. As he reached him with a loud ‘Christ Ray what happened’ Doyle took one last stumble and landed flat out on the ground.

‘Fuck’ said Bodie. He reached down and slipped his arm under Doyle’s uninjured side and carried him back to the carriage.

‘Give me a hand love’ he called out, and Cathy came to the door and helped him to get Doyle up into the carriage. Bodie carried him to the little bunk and set him down. ‘Cathy, get the first aid kit, it’s in the cupboard next to the tea things.’ He wanted to lie the now unconscious man down but first he had to get the jacket off, which he did as carefully as possible. Then he lay Doyle on the bed and Cathy brought the first aid kit over and knelt next to him, she was as white as a sheet.

Expertly Bodie checked the wound, decided that the bullet had gone right through, cleaned and packed the injury with wadding and bandaged it as best he could. He covered Doyle with all the blankets and sat back.

‘What do you think happened?’ she whispered.

‘I don’t know, I just don’t know’ said Bodie. ‘Seems like we can’t trust anyone.’ He ran his hands through his hair, trying to think it through. If they’d got to Murphy then nothing is safe. Which means the whole of CI5 are in on it, which means they have access to all their files and safe houses, which means they know about the railway carriage.

‘We’re going to have to make a move love.’ Bodie wasn’t sure if he meant this to Cathy or Doyle. At that moment Doyle moaned a little and moved his head. He flickered his eyes open and stared at Bodie. ‘Get us out of here’ he said, reading Bodie’s mind as usual. Bodie stormed into action. He grabbed a few supplies, blankets, first aid kit, two extra guns and ammunition, helped Cathy down to the ground and got her and the kit into the back seat of the car. Then he went back for Doyle.

‘This is gonna hurt mate’ he said. As carefully as he could he hoisted Doyle to his feet and helped him out of the carriage. He half carried him across to the car and settled him into the passenger seat. Then he got behind the wheel himself and they were away.

‘Don’t drive too fast, you’ll draw attention to us, and this is my car, go easy on the clutch.’

Bodie smiled. Doyle must be feeling better. ‘Any ideas on where we could head to?’ he asked.

‘I’m not sure’ said Doyle, shifting his weight trying to get comfortable. ‘North?’

‘North it is’ agreed Bodie.

At that moment the car radio crackled into life.

‘3 7 or 4 5 come in. This is an urgent call to 3 7 or 4 5.’

‘Shut it off?’ suggested Doyle. Bodie obliged and clicked the switch to off.

An hour later they were out of London and heading vaguely Northwards on the A and B roads to avoid being seen. Bodie pulled into the forecourt of Jack’s Hill Cafe on the A5 at Towcester to get them some food which he brought back to the car. They started off again and found themselves winding through lanes near the Grand Union canal at Weedon. The girl had dozed off in the back seat.

‘Tell me what happened Doyle’ said Bodie in a low voice so as not to wake Cathy.

‘Murphy went in to try to do some snooping. He got caught by the Cow and came back out to give me a message. Cowley had said we needed to bring the girl in and to trust him. Suddenly Benny was shouting at me to give myself up, I ran and he shot me, the bastard!’

‘Did he get Murphy?’

‘No, I don’t think so. Murphy gave covering fire then I was away.’

‘How can we trust someone who is going to shoot us?’ said Bodie.

‘I know, this whole thing stinks.’

‘Do you think Cowley really shot the CIA agent?’

‘Your little friend seems to think so.’

‘But if she was wrong, then somebody else must have done it. Somebody else who was at the station at the time.’

‘Yeah, like who?’

There was a loud click suddenly very close to Doyle’s ear. He froze.

Bodie looked in the rear view mirror. Cathy was sitting up in the back with one of the spare guns in her hand. She was pointing it at Doyle.

‘I wondered how long it would take for you two to work it out’ she said.

Doyle closed his eyes. He knew it. He’d seen all sorts of hit men in his time but never one quite like this. He should have trusted his instincts.

The car slowed down. ‘Keep driving’ Cathy said to Bodie. The car sped up again. ‘You just keep your mind on the driving and your hands on the wheel, and keep your shifty eyes on the road ahead.’ She sang this last bit, laughing to herself.

‘What are you going to do?’ asked Bodie, looking at her via the rear view mirror. ‘You can’t even get out of this car without moving us two. I don’t believe you really want to kill us. We’re not part of a contract, all we’ve done is look after you.’

‘Don’t be such a sap Bodie’ she said. ‘Doyle’s injured and you’re in love with me, of course you’re going to let me go. Start heading for Leicester. I used to train spot there.’ Without putting the gun down she got the 1961 Combine back out of her pocket and started reading out train numbers.

Doyle shook his head. A nutter. Great. That was all they needed.

** Scene Change, Leicester North train station. **

Bodie pulled the RS2000 into a space at the side of the entrance road to the Station. They all sat very quietly, watching the bustle of the street.

‘What now Cathy?’ asked Bodie.

‘You’re going to let me out of your door Bodie, and you make one move to stop me and Goldilocks here gets another bullet.’

Bodie slowly got out of the car. She gestured for him to move away so he did so. She reached over to lean his seat forward and edged out of the car backwards, still pointing the gun straight at Doyle. As she straightened up there was suddenly a squeal of brakes as three cars tore up the street towards them. Bodie ducked behind the RS2000 on Doyle’s side and she turned in confusion. The cars hurtled towards them, each with a man hanging out of the window pointing a gun at her. The man in the first car was Murphy.

‘Drop it’ he shouted, pointed his gun straight at her.

‘I’ve got a hostage’ she shouted back, but as she did so, Bodie released the handle on Doyle’s door and pulled him out of the car onto the pavement beside him.

Panicked she turned back to Murphy and wildly shot at him, smashing the windscreen. With one shot Murphy put a bullet right between her eyes. She landed on the floor in a crumpled heap under her parka. It was over.

Bodie pulled Doyle to his feet. ‘You all right?’ he checked.

‘Bloody marvellous mate.’

Doyle slumped back into the car and put his head back on the seat.

Bodie went over to the body. He bent down and picked up the 1961 Combined Volume that had fallen onto the floor. Murphy joined him. ‘You okay mate? He asked.

‘I must be getting old if teenage girls have started to turn into hit men.’ he said, sadness and confusion written all over his face.

He stood up and slipped the book into his pocket, then walked slowly back to the Escort.

** Scene Change, Debrief in Cowley’s office. **

Bodie had just finished a complete run through of events for Cowley’s benefit while Betty made notes on her pad. Cowley was pacing up and down listening carefully. Doyle was sat with his arm in a sling, defiance and anger written all over his face.

‘So at what point did you two decide to trust a witness more than you trusted me?’ asked Cowley, raising his voice, not for the first time.

‘We had to get our facts straight before acting, we had the witnesses best interests at heart Sir’ said Bodie.

‘Did you indeed? Yes, well I suppose you did.’

‘And how did you find us so fast in Leicester?’

‘I had all CI5 agents cars fitted with automatic tracking devices last month. You never know when it might come in handy.’

Doyle looked up and spoke quietly but intently. ‘And who the hell gave the order for Benny to shoot me?’

‘At the moment Murphy left my office I got a call confirming my suspicions that the girl was a hired gun. We had to get you back quickly, but you ran. My instruction to Benny was to send out a warning shot. What happened was.....regrettable.’

‘Regrettable? Oh bloody fantastic. You wait till I get my hands on Benny.’

‘That might not be for some time Doyle.’

‘Why the hell not?’

‘I have sent Benny on assignment with agent Jaicen in Australia. He might be gone for some time.’ Cowley looked at Doyle, his eyes twinkled as he past him a tumbler of whiskey which Doyle took and drank down in one, then held it out again for a refill.

Cowley refilled all three glasses, and trust was once again restored.


End file.
